Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups are a great way to support local farmers and gardeners while making sure the freshest seasonal fruits, vegetables, dairy, and in some cases meat wind up in your fridge and on your dinner table. A few years ago, it was difficult to find one in your community, but today joining a CSA is easier than ever.

What Is a CSA?

A CSA is a different way of getting fresh produce to your table. Instead of buying your fruit and vegetables from a grocer or middleman, a CSA is a loosely organized group of customers and farmers who organize to sell "shares" of the farmers' crops to the customers, who in turn subsidize the farmers, their operations, and often their families. Some CSAs ship directly to customer homes, but others allow you to pick up your share at a nearby collection point. Photo by Tim Sackton.

When you join a CSA, you sign up for regular deliveries of fresh fruits, vegetables, and in some cases meat and dairy from the participating farms. Those deliveries are selected by the organizer, and either come weekly or monthly, depending on the schedule of the CSA. Additionally, some CSAs ship deliveries year-round, featuring fall and winter crops or home-made jams and jellies during the cold weather months. Many CSAs allow you to sign up per-season so you only pay for the seasonal crops you're interested in.

Depending on how large the CSA is or how many seasons you sign up for, you can expect to pay anywhere from $20-$50/week for a seasonal share. That means a typical June to November summer season could set you back between $400-$1000. Many CSAs offer discounts if you pick up your share instead of having it shipped, or if you offer to work the farm one day each month. Working the farm is never required, however. The outlay at the start may seem steep, but consider it in comparison to how much you spend on produce at a farmer's market or grocery store every week or month.

We've discussed how to make the most of your CSA, and the benefits of joining a coffee CSA, but finding and joining a CSA is another matter. CSAs used to be difficult to find, but more of them have popped up in the past year then ever before. That's all great, but it doesn't explain why or how you should join one. Here's why. Photo by Scott.

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Why Should I Join a CSA?

Supports Local Farmers: Unlike buying from a grocery store, CSAs are a great way to give money directly to the farmers that grow your fruits and vegetables. It's not as direct as visiting a farmer's market, but if you don't live in a place where there's a farmer's market nearby, CSAs often deliver your "share," or your portion of the harvest to your home, or let you pick up your share from a central location.

The Freshest Possible Seasonal Eats: Since all of the fruit, vegetables, and dairy you get from a CSA are locally-grown, everything you get as part of your share will likely be grown within a stone's throw of your home. That means it's picked when ripe, and not frozen and trucked across country before getting to you.

Also, as the weather changes, crops will change too – you'll get berries and tomatoes in the spring and summer, and squash and apples in the fall – when they're perfectly ripe.

Try New, Healthier Foods: You don't have to join an organic CSA, but they're out there if you want food that's free of pesticides or grown in a certified organic environment. Plus, as a thank you, most farmers in a CSA will throw in new and different crops at times to see how well people like them and how well they grow. Your regular share will usually contain a delicious surprise.

Gets You Outside: It's not required, but many CSAs will offer discounted memberships if you come and work the field. It's not for everyone, that's for sure, especially if you're joining so you don't have to garden. If you do like getting out in the sun and getting some activity for a day a month or so, some CSAs give you the chance to get up close and personal with the fruit, veggies, and sometimes even the meat and dairy you eat.

(Potentially) Cheaper than Gourmet/Conventional Markets: Most people wouldn't consider a CSA the most affordable option when it comes right down to dollars. The benefit of fresh, delicious food is enough to make many people spend more than they would at their local supermarket. However, because a CSA requires you lay out more money up front to get regular deliveries, it forces you to budget, and depending on how much you spend on groceries regularly, it could wind up being cheaper in the long run.

How Do I Join a CSA?

For more information, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has an excellent list of CSA resources and directories that will help you find one in your area. We're big fans of Local Harvest, since it has one of the largest databases of CSAs in the US. Ecovian has a good database of CSAs in the United States and Canada as well.

The USDA page also has more information and published studies on the value of CSAs, their history, and their growth over the past few years.

In Canada, CSAs are usually referred to as Community Shared Agriculture, and finding one can be difficult depending on where you live. Residents of Ontario can visit the Ontario CSA Farm Directory, and Quebecois can visit Equiterre to find one in their province.

Once you've found a CSA in your area, joining is usually as simple as filling out your information on the group's website or placing a phone call. You'll often have to pay for your seasonal share up-front, but once your payment is processed, you'll often get a welcome kit with information about the farm and the farmers you're supporting, how you can get involved on the farm if you so choose, and what the delivery schedule looks like. In many cases at this point, you can sit back, relax, and wait for the food to roll in. Ken Hawkins.

Who Shouldn't Join a CSA?

If you have simple and easy access to a farmer's market for your groceries, it may not make sense for you to join a CSA unless you want the opportunity to work a farm or get close to your food. Even so, CSAs are great for people who only have farmers market access during certain seasons, or who would prefer food delivered right to their door. It won't replace your grocery trips, but a good CSA will definitely cut down on their frequency and volume.

Also, even though we mentioned price as one reason you should join a CSA, getting your fruits and vegetables from a CSA will likely not save you any money unless you let it force you to budget or use it as a way to manage your food costs. Shopping at large supermarkets is simply cheaper for a number of reasons (volume, subsidies, commercial farm operations, etc.) Joining a CSA shouldn't be an economic decision, but if economics are in the front of your mind, it may not be for you. Photo by O2 Nation.

Why I Love My CSA

When I chose to join a CSA, I did so partially to be environmentally conscious and to support local agriculture, but the decision was largely out of a desire to be closer to the source of my food, and to obtain the freshest local food possible. I wanted to meet the people who grew my food and visit the places where it was grown. While I haven't worked up the nerve to work the farm just yet, I appreciate the fact that I can either have fresh food delivered to me or I can pick it up on a regular basis, and that the money I spend on that food goes directly into the hands of the people who bring it to me.

Being a CSA member hasn't stopped my trips to the local farmer's market, or to the grocery store for non-perishables, but it's definitely changed how I eat and what I eat at what times during the year. Plus, knowing the other members of the CSA and the farmers behind it appreciate my participation is a big benefit.

If you do decide to join a CSA, you'll join a growing trend and group of people who are decidedly close to their food. You'll be paying for sustainable, small batch farmers, often families, who could use the help, and most rely on environmentally friendly and sustainable farming practices to keep their customers happy and their farms healthy. The money you spend goes right into the food you eat and into sustaining the operations of the farm or group you're a member of. Photo by Catherine.